The troubled road to rights-based life cycle social protection in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

Decades of protracted conflict, coupled with political, economic, and social crises, have profoundly shaped the social protection landscape in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).

Governmental and non-governmental safety net programs, originally designed to address emergency needs, have become permanent fixtures, delivering assistance to a relatively stable caseload over an extended period. Conversely, the development of contributory social insurance schemes has been limited to public-sector employees and security personnel, leaving the OPT as the only country among the Arab States without social security mechanisms covering private-sector workers.

In this context, financing through loans and grants, and proxy-means targeted social safety nets dominate the social protection framework. Additionally, institutional fragmentation and coordination challenges among social protection actors hinder the emergence of unified approaches and systems.

The outbreak of war in Gaza on 7 October 2023, compounded by ongoing escalations in the West Bank, has significantly escalated social protection needs, placing immense pressure on existing social protection systems. While the humanitarian response has been expanded, this surge highlights, once again, the imperative for improved coordination between, and anchoring of, social assistance programs within the National Social Protection system.

Amidst complex and protracted crises, recent years have nonetheless witnessed positive signs of change in the field of social protection. In OPT, national dialogue on social security reforms was re-initiated, renewing expectation for the gradual implementation of social insurance for private-sector workers and their families. In 2024, the first-ever rights-based social allowances for persons with severe disabilities and older persons were rolled-out, while the conversation around the Humanitarian, Development and Peace (HDP) Nexus in social protection has gained momentum.

The key components of life cycle guarantees are being developed, building the foundations for achieving nationally defined social protection floors.

These are fragile developments, and the tragic circumstances unfolding risk undermining the new gains. To what extent can recent reforms and coordination efforts pave the way to integrated and rights-based social protection systems? Is there a prospect of complementarity between the contributory and non-contributory pillars? What are the critical conditions to consolidate and entrench the progress made?
The session will critically examine recent developments in the contributory and non-contributory social protection landscape in OPT, aiming to assess whether they can chart a course to sustainable change.

Agenda

13:00 – 13:10 | Opening and Welcome

• Michele Scala, Social Protection Programme Technical Officer, ILO OPT

13:10 – 13:30 |Setting the Stage: An overview of recent developments with Social Protection in the OPT

• Momin Badarna, Social Protection Coordinator, ILO OPT

13:30 – 14:00 | Panel discussion

• Moderator: Farah Al Shami, Senior Fellow and Program Director - Social Protection, Arab Reform Initiative
• Manal Ramadan, Director General of Planning and Aid Management, Ministry of Social Development
• Belal Fallah, Researcher, Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute-MAS
• Luca Sangalli, National Cash Working Group Coordinator
• Cosma Gabaglio, Social Policy Officer, UNICEF Office in State of Palestine

14:00 – 14:25 | Q&A

14:25 – 14:30 | Closing

• Magid Fathallah, Regional Coordinator, ISSA

This episode is part of the webinar series "Arab Social Protection Compass: Towards Integrated Approaches for Universal Social Protection", organised by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in collaboration with the International Social Security Association (ISSA) and technical support of socialprotection.org. The initiative intends to put a spotlight on reforms and programmes geared towards fostering integration within social protection across the region and beyond, while contributing to stir discussion at the national level. Throughout the series, speakers will delve into both the theoretical underpinnings and practical implementations of specific reforms, aiming to inspire a broad audience of practitioners to replicate or scale up similar interventions.